Pentax K-1 Review

After years of promises and months of teasing, Ricoh has finally unveiled the Pentax K-1, a 36.4MP full-frame DSLR built around the K lens mount. It becomes the only conventional DSLR to offer a full frame sensor with image stabilization.

The camera is extensively sealed and features magnesium alloy construction. But despite its range-topping status and high-end build, it has a relatively low list price of $1799.

Pentax K-1 Key Specifications

36.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor with no anti-aliasing filter

5-axis image stabilization rated to 5 stops by CIPA standard testing

100% pentaprism viewfinder with 0.7x magnification

33-point AF system (25 cross-type)

Extensive weather-sealing

1/200 sec flash sync speed

14-bit Raw recording (DNG or PEF)

AA filter simulation

Multi-shot Pixel Shift Resolution mode

Built-in GPS with electro-magnetic compass and Astrotracer function

4.4 fps continuous shooting (6.5 fps in APS-C crop mode)

Wi-Fi

1080/30p video

Sensor-shift cleverness

As this list of spec highlights should make clear, the K-1 makes the most of its moveable sensor. As well as the image stabilization, which is rated to an impressive 5 stops, the camera offers a host of other clever features. These include anti-aliasing filter simulation which vibrates the sensor during exposure to intentionally blur high frequency detail across multiple pixels, to avoid moiré. Then there's the Pixel Shift Resolution mode that increases color resolution by shooting four consecutive images with the sensor moved by one pixel - effectively canceling the Bayer color filter array and lowering noise by image averaging.

The other sensor-shift modes are also clever: the K-1 includes Horizon Correction, which rotates the sensor if you hold the camera slightly off-level, and the Astrotracer system that uses the sensor's movement to cancel-out the effect of the Earth's rotation when taking images of stars (something it can calculate using its GPS).

Upgraded AF and metering

The sensor at the heart of the SAFOX 12 AF module. It gives 33 AF points in all, 25 of which are cross type and three of which offer greater accuracy when paired with bright lenses.

The camera gets a new AF module (called SAFOX 12) which features 33 focus points, 25 of which are cross type. The central three of these offer higher precision when used with F2.8 or faster lenses and the central 25 continue to focus down as far as -3EV.

An 86,000-pixel RGB metering sensor acts to offer 77-segment metering but also aids the camera's autofocus system, enabling scene analysis and subject detection to yield accurate exposures and automatically select the correct AF point to stay on your subject (subject tracking) when using continuous AF.

Core competence

Overall, though, it's not the clever use of the sensor that most stands out about the K-1, it's Ricoh's obvious focus on the core photographic capabilities. There's a reason we chose to list the viewfinder size so far up the list of specifications - it's because we think it's something users coming from existing Pentax cameras will most appreciate. Sure, there are multiple exposure modes and time lapse options, but the things that most jumped out are the high resolution sensor, the well positioned dials, the large viewfinder and image stabilization - the core things that help you to get better images. Speaking of core things: some may bemoan the omission of a dedicated AF point control, though the four way controller can be re-purposed for this.

Which isn't to say the K-1 is entirely without the occasional flourish. Aside from clever sensor shift modes (that some - particularly landscape - photographers will surely come to love), the most obvious of these is its 'Cross-Tilt' LCD. The Cross-Tilt mechanism takes a tilting LCD cradle and mounts it on four legs that slide along a cross-shaped series of slots, allowing the screen to extend outwards and move in a complex manner, before the screen itself is tilted up/down.

The K-1's Cross-Tilt LCD system has all the elegance of two deck chairs mating, but it provides a useful range of articulation.

Mounted to the back of the LCD are four white LEDs that can be used to shed light on the rear controls. Another LED, whose behavior can be set independently, shines a light on the lens mount for easier alignment when swapping lenses in the dark. The camera's card bay and remote release port are also illuminated by LEDs.

For the most part, though, the camera's focus is very much toward a traditional approach to still photography. Video capture tops-out at 1080/30p (which can also be encoded as 60i, if you prefer), which is a long way from cutting edge, but we really doubt that Ricoh has would-be film makers in mind with this model.

Still shooters are likely to appreciate the camera's Smart Function system, which adds a third command dial to the top right corner of the camera and a further control to define its function. The three dials give direct control over three of the camera's parameters with the ability to customize one of them without going anywhere near a menu.

Pricing

And how much does Ricoh want for this twin-dial, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy, image-stabilized full frame camera? The list price is a fiercely competitive $1799, body only. To put that in perspective, that's $200 lower than the launch price of Nikon's more basic D610 and $300 less than what Canon originally expected for the EOS 6D, meaning there's only a $100 premium over the list price of Sony's image-stabilized a7 II.

This is a very similar pattern we've seen from Ricoh before, with the company's models often including higher-end features (twin control dials, prism viewfinders and weather sealing) at a lower price than you'd need to spend to get them from one of the other DSLR makers.

Lens lineup

At present, Pentax offers a mixture of full-frame compatible lenses, including a handful of screw-drive FA prime lenses from the film-era and the much-loved 31, 43 and 77mm FA Limiteds from the late '90s/early 2000s. However, the company is already starting to flesh-out a range of more modern 'D FA' zooms, including a 15-30mm F2.8, a 24-70mm F2.8 (both suspiciously reminiscent of certain current Tamron-branded zooms) a 70-200mm F2.8 and an 150-450mm F4.5-5.6. For now, though, those looking for modern, fast-focusing primes will be disappointed.

But that isn't the whole story, of course. Part of the reason for all the interest in a full-frame Pentax is the vast collection of K-mount lenses that exist around the world. The K-1 lets you use the aperture rings on these lenses and can give a focus confirmation beep with the central AF point, even with manual focus lenses. When you mount an older, manual lens the K-1 prompts you to manually specify the focal length so that the image stabilization can be tuned appropriately.

The K-1 can, of course, still use the Pentax DA lenses designed for the company's APS-C cameras. By default the camera will use a 15MP APS-C-sized crop of the sensor if a DA lens is mounted but can be made to use its full sensor region, if you'd prefer. Ricoh has published a list of those lenses that will produce relatively useable results in full frame mode, if the aperture is stopped down.

DA Prime Lens / Utility on K-1

DA 14mm

Crop Mode Only

DA 50mm F1.8

Stopped-down

DA 21mm Limited

Crop Mode Only

DA* 55mm F1.4

Stopped-down

DA 15 F4 Limited

Crop Mode Only

DA 70mm Limited

Stopped-down

DA 35mm F2.4

Stopped-down

DA* 200mm F2.8 SDM

Fully Functional

DA 35mm F2.8 Macro

Stopped-down

DA* 300mm F4 SDM

Fully Functional

DA 40mm Limited

Stopped-down

DA 560mm F5.6

Fully Functional

DA 40mm XS

Stopped-down

RC1.4X

Crop Mode Only

The company says that all of the DA zooms will only cover the crop sensor region.

Comments

Great camera, but I doubt this is enough for Pentax to stay in the race.

Sure it will attract lots of Pentax owners that currently shoot APS-C, but is this enough to attract completely new customers to the Pentax brand? For this to happen I am not so sure.

Personally I think they gambled on the wrong horse by opting for a traditional DSLR instead of a less 'proven' mirrorless system. Though with the current rapid development of on sensor phase detection AF. This type of AF now has come very close to that of any high end DSLR system (look at Sony A6300 and in lesser extend the Fujfilm X-Pro2 and forthcoming X-T2.)

Next to that there is also good improvements on EVF's over the last years that can nowadays deal with bright light situations much better then years ago and refresh rates have gone up over 100mhz.

NOT saying the DSLR is a dead horse btw.

But I think that if Pentax had gone MILC with this camera they could have won over more hearts and interest.

Agreed. I own a number of Pentax bodies, but the AF has always been the disappointing element of being a Pentax user. I doubt SAFOX 12 is much better. The AF has never been close to Nikon or Canon and any honest Pentax user knows it. Constant reviewing was the only way to deal with the AF.

IF they had gone with a midrange mirrorless APSC with on-chip AF and completely discarded the aging SAFOX system I think it would have been a win for bringing new users to the brand. Unfortunately the K-01 (which I have and like) was saddled with a terrible aesthetic and the resulting sales probably soured Pentax from pursuing mirrorless. They are now too late to mirrorless game IMO.

In all honesty, a new SAFOX AF system in 2016 is an enigma. It has been obviously subpar for quite some time. Pentax designers should have ditched it LONG ago, but they keep drinking their own Koolaid and iterating little changes to SAFOX. Why? It's a mystery to be sure.

A smart mirrorless design that kept the lens communication protocols would have allowed Pentax to design a converter like Olympus that uses older lenses with no loss in functionality. That would have been a smart more for transitioning existing users and providing time to develop a new line of lenses. My E-M10 shoots AF Olympus 4/3 glass faster and more accurately than my Pentax gear!

Barry, I've long been an avid Pentax user but the truth is, a simple Sony P&S provides a refreshingly confident AF relative to my K5 IIs or any Pentax I have owned for that matter. Again, my Olympus E-M10 simply destroys my Pentax DSLR's when it comes to AF. There's simply no reason for that at this point in camera technology. For unfathomable reasons, Pentax has held tightly to the weakest element of their cameras, the SAFOX AF system.

Best part about shooting motorsports with the Pentax equipment, you don't have to hold an umbrella over you camera or cover it with plastic, while others do when it rains. Also no dust inside! If you know your equipment well enough, you can shoot anything.

Many will feel vindicated here. I remember commenting on a few Pentax threads where people would ask about the AF tracking. I said i had owned 2 bodies with 5 different lenses and that in all cases, tracking was not reliable. Many others showed up with bird shots claiming it was all due to a lack of skill, or people "just don't know how to use the AF system".

The AF segment in this article clearly shows the reality of it. If you don't need AF tracking, Pentax are at the top of the heap. If you do need tracking, buy something else.

Maby because in alot of reviews they use the wrong settings. They just put it in AF.C and expect magic to work. My miss rate with AF lenses on my K-1 is below 5%. But I dont shoot action, and the misses I have is from me trying to focus on realy close packed flowers and get something just infront of the one I needed. If they miss 50% of the shots, I would say user error or malfunctioning camera. Never heard of anyone having this bad focus on a K-1 on any forum.

Vindicated? Why is this staff selected and so heavily up-voted. All one needs to do is view post history to see that one or two vocal members does not a quorum make. The OP's claim of *many* people showing up in herd mentality never happened and IMO post history *reflects* that.

Should you buy something else like a Canon 6D? Does that have truly outstanding AF? Do small lightweight primes in general have a history of having outstanding predictive AF-C performance (say the Canon 50mm f1.8 or 40mm f2.8)? How about Sony A7R, A7, etc?

Shooting my Pentax K-50 with my 35mm f2.4 I'm not sure my keeper rate on AF would have been better with a Canon 6D and any of the 50mms using outer AF points...

It is not in the price range of a Nikon D810 or A7RII. And yes Nikon has great bodies for AF since D7200/750/810 lineage.

If you want the best AF tracking you may want to buy new Nikon. Otherwise the camp of *not the best* AF is rather large since its probably anything but new Nikons.

Considering that the rating is relevant for MIDRANGE ff dslr (as stated by the author) the Silver Award seems truly unjust. Reading the review, seeing the pictures and considering the category (as pointed out by DPreview) it is much closer to Gold IMHO.

I have an interest as I have a collection of around 15 K mount manual focus primes from film days and whilst Pentax has been quick to reference it's extensive back catalogue there is scant details of how the camera performs with them.I'd love to see some 20 f4, 50 f1.2 and 135 f2.5 results.Am I being too pushy expecting a full review after being launched in Feb - and it's now June?

I have tested my SMC FA 50mm f/1.7 autofocus, my 28-105 f/4-5.6 power zoom and the 70-210 f/4 one touch manual focus zoom. They all work a treat. I just need to tweak the sharpening on the power zoom images using NIK. I have yet to custom the focusing for this lens, which may improve the 28-105, but it is still very good. The SMC D-FA 100mm f/2.8 macro is spot on sharp as a pin. I am really, really pleased with this camera, it is really amazing.

Pardon me if it is obvious but I am having difficulty finding out the minimum shutter speed allowed with the Pixel Shift operational, is it a "strap to a tripod" mode as the Oly or can this be hand held at sensible speeds in PS mode?

The motion option should allow you to hand hold this with care, but for obvious reasons a tripod is the better option. Wind blown tree branches and hand shake will be asking a lot. It works a treat on cityscapes as buildings don't move that much in the wind.

Yes, it's fully sealed and can be used down to -10°C. As a matter of fact, most cameras can be used in temperatures much lower than that. I've used one in -30°C without any problem. And professionals photograph arctic and antarctic wildlife in -50°C.

Hi i have had a look at the comments here and can anyone tell me if i am better off for getting the Pentax or the Nikon d810A for astrophotography and video?I have heard with the nikon there's no way you can use it for normal landscape or wildlife photography as you will have a run of colours all over the picture but the pentax can be used for both so my concern with teh pentax is that as the sensor is not persificly made for astrophotography and is not rendered useless for any other type of photography and video says the picture quality will not be as awesome as the Nikon D810A heres the link for the D810A http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/d810a.html

Conventional UV IR cut filter combined AA filter on the sensor blocks out UV IR from 390nm then stops IR at 700nm leaving the visible spectrum for camera to capture. 810A lets in visible red lower at 656nm, and will ruin normal images. You could get around this buy UV/IR cut filter on lenses above 30mm. Are you mounting camera with long lens to capture nebule? You must buy motorized equatorial mount for d810 and K-1 for long lenses. K-1 better with wide angle lenses no need for motorized equatorial mount, no star trails from sensor shift. If you want video for normal use then you would need the K-1. Its not in the sensor, its in the UV/IR/AA filter sitting on top the sensor.

@Richard Butler: When testing the K1 please pay attention to the speed of TTL flash. I mean the time between pressing the shutter realease button and the shutter actually opening. My K3 feels really slow when photographing dancers, like 1/5 second delay. I miss the short poses during demonstration shows. It's fast when I use Automatic flash mode. A comparison between Pentax, Nikon and Canon TTL system speed would be appreciated.

Looks like a nice addition for Pentax, I'm going to skip though. I need a little more in the autofocus and lens department to make an eco system switch worth while. Hopefully round two will have a better autofocus with tracking and by than Pentax will have a chance to add a few new lenses. But it is a very nice looking camera with some interesting features. Welcome back Pentax.

Just thought of a question I need to ask the Ricoh/Pentax people: Years ago I bought a Wein voltage reducer to sandwich between my Visitor 283 and K-20D. If or when I buy the K-1, will this item still be needed or have the flash contacts in the camera been beefed up to handle the higher flash trigger voltage?

I have used Pentax products on and off over the years, mostly on, since sitting in Psych 101 class at Akron U., not thinking about psych, but about the Pentax H-3 which would soon arrive with my name engraved on it. That was in 1962. Through the years I have had two MXs, two or three K-1000s and two 6 X7s when I turned pro in 1989. Currently have and use a K-20D and K-5II. So if I can sell the two latest, I just might be purchasing the K-1.

But you get my drift, right? There is nothing that a Canon or a Nikon FF can't do that this can that is wanted by the consumer. It's obvious that in-body stabilization is not all that important to buyers because if it were, Sony and Pentax would dominate. At the end of the day, rich ecosystem of available third party and manufacturer lenses is what matters most.

Keep in mind the cost of a full frame camera. The Pentax is around $1800. The Nikon D810 is $2800 and the Canon 5D mkIII is $2500. Then you have to by lenses. Granted Nikon and Canon currently have more modern lenses and more extensive eco systems for renting equipment, flashes and third party lenses.

But then if that was the case, we'd be talking about an entire different camera "system". It's not just about the camera, it's about all the other stuff too. It's about being able to put shift/tilt lenses on Canikon, it's about Zeiss lenses readily available for Canikon, It's about flash modules for speed lights and studio strobes, it's about 3rd party support, etc.. It's also about customer service and 3rd party high quality fix-it shops.

I shoot Nikon, Canon and Pentax (film (k1000 & digital (645Z). I think Pentax makes far more compelling cameras when it comes to features per dollar spent; Pentax still has a long way to go on lenses. Pentax really needs to develop their own lenses or get into bed with a manufacturers known for designing great glass (e.g. Zeiss or Schneider) instead of continuing to flounder. Pentax has to take a stand on quality.... and if they focused on their lenses like they've done on their latest camera, a lot more Pentax bodies and lenses would be sold.

There's no "argument". I didn't mention whether or not Pentax was a "fine system". The fact is that many photographers would gladly purchase a Pentax if Pentax offered solutions on par with what they're used to having in their camera bag from Nikon/Canon.

Pentax 200-400 f/4? Nikon has it and Canon has a 200-400 f/4 with extender built in. That's the kind of stuff many photographers consider & buy.. It might not matter to you, or Pentax, but it does to many others $pending thousands on cameras and lenses.

Quality tilt-shift?

The HSS feature in Broncolor strobes will work with our Canons but not Pentax 645 we're told by B&H. That's real world stuff, not make believe. Pentax won't work with Profoto B1 either but will with Nikon/Canon where TTL is supported for those bodies.

Not much that will compel a Canon/Nikon shooter (especially pro) to even think about switching "systems".

Schneider is great as I've posted many times; also pricey. Not only (fast/modern) leaf shutter lenses for *any* of their 645, but modern lenses that aren't screw driven. It's 2016 for Pete's sake! Pentax should've had mostly silent AF FF lenses 5-10 years ago. I love my 120mm f/4, but sheesh... whirr whirr whirr... letting everyone in the city know it's hunting focus.

Priolite = great! but I'm still trying to get a handle on their quality before I buy. B&H won't carry them for some reason. The tech is excellent; makes sync speed irrelevant. Will drive the hi-cost of big packs down.

D-FA 150-450 ... usually when you have a huge zoom range, quality suffers noticeably compared to primes, and premium zooms with a very small zoom range. For all I know, Pentax pulled a rabbit out of the hat, and they're able to get stellar image quality and colour rendition with a lens that offers a 3x zoom range.

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's highly improbable.

Let me be clear so that I'm not misunderstood. I am not saying that Pentax is inadequate, sub par or is a bad "system". It isn't on all accounts. I'm saying (accurately) that Pentax is behind, having to catch-up if it wants a piece of the high-line market.

K-1 would've *really* shook the *entire* premium DSLR market up had Pentax offered it several years ago. Pentax gets a strong A++ for K-1 and 645 series. I love the brand.

The K-1 came too late, as many Nikon shooters are already saddled up with the D800 series and Canon shooters with the 5D series with established lenses in both of those camps. I fully realize what the K-1 is to the market, and couldn't be more glad for Pentax and the affect it will have on other manufacturers in the next iteration of their cameras (that's where the affect of the K-1 will mostly be).

"You love Pentax cameras but hate all the lenses? Even when you have no knowledge of their performance (150-450 is excellent optically).....Weird. Anyways best of luck!"

Please read constructively and stop presupposing. What I plainly said is that I love the *brand*. Pentax digital bodies didn't appeal to me personally until the 645Z. I find the K-1 very appealing. I've enjoyed Pentax film cameras for decades; if I "hated" Pentax lenses I wouldn't own them.

Just because people own 5Ds or D800s or A7Riis or any other camera and lenses doesn't mean some won't want to switch. Indeed almost every professional I know has switched from Canikon over to Sony. Some will switch over to Pentax. Others will upgrade from other brands/formats. Nikon is bleeding financially and Canon is stuck with 11-12 stops of DR...things change

The K-1 is the right time for Pentax/Ricoh, (despite that many of us would have like to see it sooner) it is a sound strategic move with a strong feature set and disruptive technology (FF pixel shift with movement correction, etc) at an entry-level price...With the current Ricoh business model Pentax doesn't need to sell at high volume, and they continue to gain marketshare.

Does Pentax need to produce more digital FF lenses, absolutely. But for the time being many of us will be more than satisfied with a trio of FA Limiteds, legacy primes and brand new top notch zooms. The FA Limiteds alone are reason to buy this camera :)

I think its a bit silly to criticize Pentax for not having obscure big dollar lenses which canon and nikon sell only a couple of hundred of per year. Pentax isl creating a new FF lens lineup, the basic zoom pro lenses is what we'll get for the time being. Should be enough to keep the enthusiasts and pro's happy for the time being. the Primes will come later, thats dependent on how well the K-1 sells. Its gonna be a small ecosystem at the start. The APSC ecosystem was very good. People in Pentax land love 2 shoot the Limited's, and travel light. You can't be everything to everybody, and Nikon and canon isn't what I'm looking for, therefore not for everybody. I look at the Fuji line up, and some pro's love it, its not for everybody, the canikon drum beaters will say look at the range of lenses canikon has, REALLY? do you own them all? Most pro's don't need all that gear they horde and can probably make do with less. Noone actually needs a 200mm f2 c'mon, make do with less.

I would not...I'm a pentax user since the release of K10. And it has fulfilled all my need, I went from "interested in photography" to "HxC hobbyist" to "professional" without even noticing. Thanks for the huge lenses collection on second hand market etc...

But with the K5 I've started to be somewhat disappointed. My model had a strange problem, two weeks after buying it some "white powder" appeared between back display and display protection... sealed camera ok ? But provided with inclusive dust

But even worse, when I had great fun and 90%-95% in focus shooted with manual lenses (mostly the monstruous 50mmf1.4 tak), I went down to few good shot over hundreds.. it took me months, opened and tried to fixe lenses, tried anything... and all along missed thousands of shoots...

I randomly identify the problem (thanks internet), that the pentaprism from visor was on a thicker frame/support than needed, and so the light path between lense-eye was different than the distance lense-sensor.

Yes, here is one Nikon user who is going to switch to Pentax again. Without any Pentax lenses, as I sold my Pentax k10 and all its lenses years ago for a Nikon d700, that I rarely use since I also started to use the Fuji x-lineup. Very much satisfied with that and looking forward to sell all my Nikon equipment for the Pentax! If anyone in Germany is interested: get in touch for a Nikon d700 many glass and additional equipment. The K1 is just the camera I waited for. At least from the look at it as I could not test it up to now. But the design and the specs are convincing. Cheers!

All Pentax K-models have this & moore: did you ever heard of"catch-in focus" by Pentax? It is wonderful feature & with little of practice you can take pictures with MF-lenses almost fast as with AF.http://www.gyes.eu/photo/catchinfocus.htm

I - personaly - use MF-lens in this way:- swich on MF- put MF-lens on body- turn on camera (body)- select proper focal lenght in menu- put swich on body on AF (!!!)- hold the trigger permanetly (camera does not take a photo)- turn focus ring- when object is in focus camera automaticly takes photo & stops when object is out of frocus again

Its is almost fast as with AF-lens. No other brand has this unique Pentax feature. You must only play a little bit with your camera to get used of this feature.

It's a pity not all the Pentax lenses are full frame compatible, but I've used the DA 40mm XS on a 35mm film body and it IS full frame which isn't surprising as it is basically the same as the DA 40mm Limited but in a more compact plastic minus quick shift.

You would have a few features available, even in crop, that the K-3 doesn't have. However, I can't see how the lower resolution crop factor of the K-1 will be able to compete with the K-3/II's inherent resolution and quality.What it does allow you is the ability to still use the APS-C lenses you currently own with very good results while you build you FF arsenal.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!CaNik Co. got kicked in the balls with K-1 & now they are all histerical. So they send souch prepayed guys on internet to write stupid comments & to provoke us - Pentax-lovers.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have only one question:

HOW MANY PENTAXIANS has wrote negative comments under articles about Ca-Nik camera-tests?

But as a very old man I can tell you that future reality is much moore crazy as any science fiction. 4 example: do you remeber the filmsBack to the Future have you seen there any mobiles, tablets ..?:o)))but there I saw a skate bord which hanged in the air wthout wheels - today this the most crazy thing in film - is reality.So - It is hard to say ...

Whilst the k1 is every amateur pentax owners, astro photographer, legacy owners, landscape shooters dream .... i am leaning to Nikons D750 for serious work and AF that can keep pace. Hence very few canikon owners will be too worried or willing to jump camp.

Dreams are free, nice camera that it looks and sounds on paper, I'd be worried that buying it will result in much the same sad AF performance or not enough of an improvement.Looking forward to real life testing.

Just as a question ... can the older FF film lenses even fully resolve a 36mp sensor? I'm of course fully confident that most would provide outstanding results, but again, wouldn't a lens optimized for digital have a distinct advantage?

You really can't be that poorly informed. Not all their lenses are stabilized, but even if they were, they are still missing out on the numerous other advantages of IBIS.

Here are some advantages of IBIS, off the top of my head:

1) Stabilize EVERY lens, even vintage lenses2) Reduce size, weight, complexity, and cost of lenses3) Improve image quality of lenses, since they don't need an extra element for stabilization4) Adjustable simulated AA filter5) Dust reduction by shaking dust off sensor6) Dual IS when paired with OS lenses7) Automatic horizon correction8) Astrotracer ability9) All your old lenses benefit from improved IBIS as you upgrade bodies10) More axis of stabilization then in-lens IS can provide11) Perspective correction by tilting sensor12) You are only paying for stabilization once, instead of every time you buy a lens13) SUPER RESOLUTION via pixel-shifting14) In-lens IS can use more battery power

Well, in regards to point 12, I think that most of us who are seriously into photography will eventually have much more invested in lenses than in bodies. But for a casual photographer who doesn't have a lens "collection", then sure, that point is not a big deal.

And point 5 just shows that there's nothing stopping Canon and Nikon from shaking their sensors, if they wanted it. I think (at least I hope!) that it's just a matter of time until their customers start to demand the many other advantages of IBIS.

In the early days, when IBIS was pretty much just about stabilization, and when it was less advanced, Canon and Nikon's approach was much more defensible. But today? I think it smacks of entrenched stubbornness mingled with arrogance.

That strategy has made (financial) sense for a long time, even if it has not been completely fair to their loyal customer base. But it's starting to look like they've painted themselves into a corner in this regard as the competition keeps demonstrating the vast utility of IBIS.

They may have an out, however, if they can develop a dual-IS system that can take advantage of their current stabilized lenses, so that in-lens stabilization still has real value. From what I've heard about Olympus's new 300mm F4, the dual-IS is incredible.

A dual-IS system would be a great thing for Canon and Nikon wildlife shooters, as well as the video crowd. Could be useful for sports at times also.

Why doesn't those new systems like FUJI X and most of the Sony A7 bodies have any IBIS? Is that also a marketing claim to sell lenses? Man you guys have a tunnel vision or much hate about Canon and Nikon...

Speaking of being "uninformed" (LOL), it is well known that inbody IS cannot be combined with in lens IS. Therefore Canon and Nikon would just incur more development and manufacturing cost if they add IS to their bodies, while at the same time lose the ability to charge more for their IS lenses. Tamron has recently added IS to its 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, in order to woo Nikon and Canon camera owners. Nikon and Canon users are not going to switch to Pentax or Sony because of in camera IS In fact, even when Nikon lacked a full frame, many Nikon users swear that they will stick with Nikon forever instead of buying a FF Canon. That means Nikon and Canon has nothing to lose and profits to gain if they refuse to add in camera IS.

A lot of rubbish is talked here... for example "while at the same time lose the ability to charge more for their IS lenses."

Where is the proof for that?

"That means Nikon and Canon has nothing to lose and profits to gain if they refuse to add in camera IS."

Ever thought about the fact that in-lens IS is more effective for supertele photo lenses? You get a stabilized viewfinder... but it makes no sense to talk with Pentax fans about that... they just want to believe what they want to see...

Βecause they invested some good money on it and they want to take their money back and they won't change their line till they get it back the way they budgeted it. When they do they will retain some lens models for casual users and then they will persuade their users to buy their new IBIS approach. More than that, it's quite difficult to teach old dogs a new trick, especially when his friends call this trick legacy.

IBIS doesn't provide a stabilized viewfinder and the autofocus system is looking through the lens, too. So an in-lens stabilization will also provide a stabilized view for the autofocus system... IBIS is only an advantage if you want to use old lenses (that is also true for Sony A7 where most of those users are fiddling around with adapters...). Because Pentax users don't like the major brands doesn't mean that everything what they do is "bad design" by default...

4) AA filter is not needed most of the time, but sometimes the lack of an AA filter will ruin the photo. So being able to turn AA on and off is great.5) Dual IS is already available on Panasonic (which I also own), Olympus and Sony. There's no reason Canon and Nikon could not also offer it in the future. The fact that Pentax does not have it is irrelevant.7) Horizon correction is nice to have, and can save you valuable seconds as the perfect lighting is slipping away.8) Astrotracer is a very nice feature and works well10) Olympus 5-axis IS shows how powerful IBIS can be11) Sesnor tilt/shift, still nice to have and very useful if you learn when to use it

Anyway, it's nice to see you finally admit that it would be nice for Canon and Nikon to add IBIS to their feature sets. Congratulations, that must have been difficult, but I"m very proud of you.

1) the viewfinder view is not stabilized, but oscillating wildly, when using tele. Apart from being annoying in its own right, I assume it affects autofocus negatively, and makes some AF workflows almost impossible (e.g. when you attempt to follow an object with a focus point, or you ask the AF to follow the object with changing AF points.

2) The IBIS doesn't decrease the prices of lenses. Apparently, lens-stabilized 3rd party lenses have been always cheaper than the non-stabilized versions for Pentax. Not sure, if they (and Pentax as well ) rip you off, or if it is just the inevitable cost burden of tiny lot sizes. Possibly somewhere in the middle?

On the other hand, it wouldn't be wise for Pentax to go for in-lens stabilization technology (e.g. to make their tele lenses benefit from a stabilized view finder), if Pentax tends to struggle with delicate mechanics (as known from their SDM motors).

3) the automatic horizon correction just doesn't work out well, so it can ruin your exposure bracketing. In such a bracketing series, the horizon correction corrects the horizon differently on each shot, so that the frames do not match for HDR or digital blending workflows. Good that you can switch it off. Bad if you forget that.

4) the astrotracer functionality is rather a gimmick, than to be taken seriosly. For deep space objects (shot with long teles), the object rushes so quickly over the frame, that the sensor can keep up with this for only a short exposure time. Too short for serious uses.

For (ultra) wide angle uses, especially the popular rectilinear (optimized for architecture), the IBIS is unable to compensate the fact, that the focal length changes dramatically from the center to the edge. It overcompensates the center and undercompensates the edges. Both introduces blur.

There's no alternative to a "real" (external) astrotracer for either scenario.

5) For normal daylight photography with (ultra) wide angles, the IBIS can't compensate shake properly, as explained before for the astrotracer issue.

6) The Pentax IBIS system is slow to lock in (stabilize and be ready), whereas most in-lens stabilizers work pretty instant. This ruins many Pentax shots, where its IBIS wasn't finally ready yet.

7) The perspective correction is far too limited in effect to be useful for perspective shift purposes. However, it brings lens hood shades into the frame, when a prime lens (or a zoom lens at its wide end) is used with a lens hood to increase image quality. Then, Adobe lens corrections fail, assuming they don't regard shift amounts.

8) Superresolution doesn't work good enough for serious use, because its shifts are not precise enough, so that zippering artefacts occurs at contrast edges (pixel chains wich alternate between two colors from pixel to pixel).

So whether to go for IBIS or not is a matter of preferences. Sometimes IBIS may have its uses (e.g. with old, non-stabilized tele lenses). But I'm not too surprised, that CaNikon doesn't bother to obtain a license from an IBIS patent holder (which they could have done any time, if they or their huge community ever saw a benefit).

I'm not sure if astonishing is the word I would use if I had been around any Sony sensor the past 4 years. I feel like the A6000 is capable of a pull like that and I know my D750 is more than capable of doing that. Yes its neat but not exactly earth shattering.

Q1: What do Nikon D2-D5, D800/810, D750, D700, D600/610, D500, Df, D200/300, D7000-7200 DSLRs have in common? They ALL have aperture feelers to ensure full functionality in aperture priority and manual exposure mode with all classic AI(s) manual focus lenses (except for some exotic fisheye lenses that protrude into the mirror box).Q2: What do ALL Pentax DSLRs, K-1 included, have in common? Answer: no aperture feeler. With lenses before KA-mount (classic K-mount SMC lenses before 1983 as well as, for instance, all Ricoh/"Rikenon" lenses), we're restricted to stop-down metering.When I realized that, I became ... deeply disappointed, to say the least. Of course, if I was a Pentaxian, I would have known earlier. But isn't that a real shame? What a missed opportunity for the K-1. Does anyone else, apart from me, hope that the K-1 MkII will have that feature?

Okay so the only 4 comments you've ever made are the same thing in 4 places about the K-1. Give it a rest. It's the same for every Pentax DSLR and it works great. It's obvious from your comments that you don't know how the Pentax stop down metering works. It doesn't have an antiquated mechanical linkage for old lenses so what. Just shoot Nikon if that makes you happy life is too short.

I have been griping about that for over a decade. Pentax's first DSLR was unfortunately based on a low end film camera body missing the aperture coupling ring in the body. Every Pentax camera ever made since then has lacked this ring, but Pentax has remedied this through software. You push a green button on the camera when using one of the old lenses and the camera stops down the lens and takes a meter reading. Yes it is less convenient to use. In fact it is a pain in the butt to use the camera this way. I wish Pentax would bring back the aperture coupling ring, but no dice. Not even the first full frame it has ever made.

Wallace, Anastigmat, thanks für pointing out the green button solution. As the K-1 looks really compelling to me in many ways, I'm still trying to figure out whether this camera, using pre-KA lenses, makes sense to me or not. Can you please help me understand how the green button really works in Av/TAv? Does the camera continue metering and, accordingly, react to changing light situations AFTER pressing the button or does it lock exposure? In other words: Do I have to press the button each time I want to release the shutter, or only when the light changes, or only when I change the aperture value? Thank you in advance for clarifying.

Tobi, the green button stop down metering works - that is why there has been no clamouring from Pentax users to have a mechanical system & its available on all Pentax DSLR's. On the other hand, Nikon have removed the in body focusing motor and aperture coupler from cameras like the D3200, meaning that these cameras will not be able to use many film era manual and autofocus Nikon lenses effectively! The only problem with the Pentax system is if you are using lenses like the Takumars & Carl Zeiss Jena that have the black coating on the rear. On some cameras this will affect conductivity and make the stop down metering inoperable. However either a strip of tinfoil over the lens contacts or scraping off the the black layer solves the issue. My K20d stopped down with no issues, but my K3 needed foil or scraping to work with 'black' lenses.

An aperture simulator (i.e. uncrippled K-mount) would have been nice, but not a deal breaker for me, it's only K and M series lenses that are affected. Even an aperture simulator won't allow Takumars to meter automatically.

It looks suspiciously great. I opened the flowers image and I had a thorough look. I assigned some profiles, I pushed it and some more. My conclusion is that no matter if it is an sRGB jpeg image behaves excellent despite the fact that some sharpening has been applied from original shooting settings (I am not a pixel peeper and to my opinion any brightness/contrast/sharpening should ne applied in PP, except some frustrated cases). The image quality is better than larger sensors delivered some years ago, especially the CCD ones. Comparing to other cams, even with larger sensors (mainly Hassies from which I have some very good shootings from friends), is rather useless, they all deliver great images more or less, with any quality issues depending rather on lenses than on cams. Great cam and in awfully tempting price. Nice job!

I am especially excited since I do take a lot of black and white architecture shots. According to this preview not only does pixelshift maximize resolution but also will give a true tonality readout and thus absolutely superior black and white photos.

The only true problem I see with this camera is that I will want to take EVERY shot in pixelshift mode once I experienced it.

From the article you cite: "Vignetting is pretty severe at f/1.4 and 2 (as typical for a full frame 50mm class lens), and is pretty good by f/2.8. This lens is definitely corrected for full frame since CA is so minor, distortion is typical, and there is no vignetting at small apertures (hood vignettes a bit so need different/modified hood for full frame)."

According to this video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=128&v=CvCxb17LIwo>, the *55 can be used in FF, but the video (at 3 minutes 15 sec) shows an image of the view through the 55 at f/4. It shows some vignetting--not bad, but present nevertheless.

So, it would seem true that one must stop down with the *55 to avoid vignetting on the K-1. Perhaps that is typical for "full frame 50mm class lenses", but true nonetheless.

I appreciate the work he does Dpreview and reasonableness of the reflections at the same time there are people like Ken Rockwell that after 40 years of photography (as he says), does not like photography in general, I think it is only interested in only review '' Canon or Nikon '', I respect other brand even if they are not my favorite, in short, try to be more respectful if you want the same.

Dear Pentaxians, I think there's an important point to make, to all those who are eagerly waiting to use the K-1 with old K-mount lenses in aperture priority mode: THIS CAMERA HAS NO APERTURE FEELER, for whatever reason. So with SMC-M lenses, Ricoh (Rikenon) lenses (even with the infamous "P" contact removed) and other K-mount glass lacking the "A" position on the aperture ring (in short: lenses with K- instead of KA-mount), the camera won't measure exposure according to the aperture setting. Pentax DSLRs do have the option to use those lenses with diaphragm closed, but then the viewfinder will be rather dark, depending on the set aperture (stop-down metering). Only with KA-mount or later lenses, the camera will measure properly as former K-mount SLRs did.I'm disappointed, as it wouldn't have been hard to include the aperture feeler. So still no proper use for my nice old non-KA-lenses.

This is incorrect. Right now I have a XR Rikenon 28mm f2.8 on my K-5 and works perfectly. No AF, no "A" position, just a good ol plain manual lens. If you Set Custom Feature C4.27: "Using Aperture Ring = Permitted" then you can use ANY K-mount lens without the "A" position. I've seen this feature since the K20D. Use Av mode (other modes revert to Av, except M), set ISO or AutoISO, set your f on the lens, compose, push the green button and shoot. If you change your F then push the Green Button again. If you want Tv, then use Manual mode and change the shutter speed (and the steps above again). Really no need for the Aperture lever anymore.

Well, yeah, the green button works, kind of. But it is a pain in the butt, and as I remember, it's not very accurate with all lenses at all apertures.The camera manuals have a paragraph full of weasel-works that finally says the non-A lenses "will mount on current Pentax DSLR's, and will focus manually, but aperture ring and exposure function is restricted." That's really not the same as being entirely compatible.I'd really like to hear someone knowledgeable explain why Pentax added all the complication of the Green button when they could have added the mechanical feeler for about a dollar per camera.Pentax makes a big deal in their advertising about "every Pentax lens ever made is compatible," when they're not, really.

I think the harshness comes in reaction to the price of the SL, while the low price of the Pentax opens up the minds of people who consider it. Money has a tendency to have such affects on people. Just think about how someone considers buying a home. If it costs twice what they can afford, they suddenly don't want to consider it, even if it has lots of wonderful features. If it's much less than they can afford, they are normally willing to overlook some of the major problem issues that house might have. It's the same with cars, computers, and just about anything else, including cameras.

Well, one would expect to find a lot more for the huge price you paid than for the bargain priced item. So you'd be very critical of things put on the high priced item compared to the bargain priced one. Imagine if you found exactly the same kind of things on the $8000.00 priced item that you found on the $1800.00 item? You ditch that high priced rip-off immediately. Hence you're looking to see where exactly your extra thousand dollars went to and you'd be hyper critical if you weren't satisfied.

Wow! This just might be my next digital camera. I just LOVE the fact that they included the articulating tilt screen and GPS as well as Wi-Fi. I want all three in a DSLR, and they've done it with a 36 MP sensor that should offer a very high dybamic range. Nice! The pixel shift technology makes it THAT much more powerful, and I think I'd buy the camera even without that feature. With it the camera seems like a no-brainer even at a higher price. I'm going to have to buy a whole new set of lenses, but so what. I like Pentax lenses, and they make one of my favorite lenses of all . . . the 10-17mm zooming fisheye, which will likely be one of my first three lenses.

Go Pentax!

BTW, the weather sealing is a major bonus, as far as I'm concerned. I'm glad to see Pentax make this camera . . . really glad.

Wow! - "Rather than just adding location data to the photos you shoot, the GPS system can be used to tell the camera where it is, so that its sensor can then be moved to compensate for the Earth's rotation when shooting star shots - to prevent the formation of star trails."

"Part of the reason for all the interest in a full-frame Pentax is the vast collection of K-mount lenses that exist around the world."

Boy , oh boy. This lame argument needs to die a quiet death. It was lame in 2000, but now in 2016, it's irrelevant except for a few diehards eBay junkies. And that does not a market make. Do Nikon users jump up and down because they can use the old dust-filled relics in their closet? Do Sony users trumpet their AF lenses from the Clinton era? No, only Pentax and its fans use this bizarre marketing strategy. It would be like a third-tier car maker, like Suzuki, adding a cassette player to their cars so that baby boomers could play their precious English Beat and Journey tapes.

Besides the issue of lens availability, what exactly is the point of 36 mp? I think most photographers got over printing 4x6 foot prints when they realized huge prints are just narcissistic.

It is funny to read how often it gets repeated over here and there or in other places how fantastic it is to put an old manual lens from the film days on a modern camera :) maybe we can replace iPods and iPhones with cassette players again? :)

haha did i say!!!the company which made the fantastic A and k smc 50 mm f1.2 and the amazing fa ltds and da ltds plus fa* is capable of building amazing and better lenses today!!!Jorge ..what you dislike is what i like so dont try to change a pentax fan mind!!!!you know i have problem in my area to buy and sell pentax gears but this could not beat my love in pentax!!!

"Do Sony users trumpet their AF lenses from the Clinton era? No, only Pentax and its fans use this bizarre marketing strategy."most of the lenses i use on my Sony FF camera are old Minoltas. they are smaller and lighter than new designs and are available second hand for little money (compared to new lenses at least). not all of them are razor sharp, but most of them work very nice on a digital body. and many have a very pleasing bokeh - i gladly trade a bit of sharpness for nice bokeh. so, as far as i'm concerned the argument of using old lenses on new cameras is not a lame one at all (the fact that it works nicely with old Minolta lenses on a Sony DSLR is of course no guarantee that it'll work nicely with old Pentax lenses. things like focus stack thickness and lens telecentricity or lack thereof come also into play). but then again, my a900 could already be seen as an old camera...anyway, i'm happy that Pentax users now have a FF option available. and it could be a very nice one.

The thing is why do you buy a high resolution sensor with 36 megapixel to put soft old lenses on it? that is a good way burn money for unnecessary things. And it looks like if people buy expensive cameras but don't have any money for modern lenses.

the thing is, if i bought the K1 i'd rather buy it despite its resolution, not because of it. 24MP of the a900 is plenty for my uses. heck i'm even perfectly fine with the 14MP i get of my GH4 when shooting in 2:3 aspect ratio.if you have some vintage glass laying around, why not give it a try? again, most of my old Minolta glass works very nicely in the digital age (there is more PF than with film, though) and while newer lenses may be sharper, they are far from being too soft. and if you have a look at dyxum.com you'll find out that there are other people with similar experience. as far as money is concerned: if you own old lenses, you only have to spend 1800$ for this FF camera. it's difficult to build up a system from scratch with this amount of money, be it APS-C or micro four thirds, unless you buy an entry level camera and cheap lenses. will those cheap lenses really do much better?i'm not saying that new lenses are no good - but i think it makes sense to give old ones a try.

Actually, YES, Nikon users DO jump up and down because they can use the old dust-filled relics in their closet. I jump up and down because I can use the two relics from Olympus, made almost 20 years ago, on my Sony A65. Those lenses are better than most new digital lenses. So you obviously have no idea how important the old lenses are . . . still.

BTW, it's not just Pentax lenses that can be mounted. Other K mount lenses were made by Sigma (more than two-dozen), Tokina (more than a dozen), Tamron (more than a dozen), Vivitar (more than two-dozen), and many more (i.e. Hoya, Kalimar, Lensbaby, Phoenix, etc.).

You miss the point of the K1, completely. Go play with your point and shoot or iPhone, post your pictures online, leave others to photography. You obviously have no clue why some amateur and professional photographers have a legitimate use for 36 megs or larger.

...just to name a few. Every one of them has a very unique look to its bokeh and amazing and lasting built quality. Very easy to service, take apart, clean out and reassemble. Are they all prone to lens flares? Yes (sometimes it is quite beautiful actually, sometimes not so much). Are they all manual focus? Yes - I actually quite like it, it connects me to the shot and makes me think as a photographer.

Would I use them for a client session where time and money are at stake. Probably not... But dont dismiss them just because they are not the 'latest and greatest' thing on a manufacturer's roadmap...

High-end lenses of today are better than high end lenses of yesteryear, and low-end lenses of today are better than my first Domiplan, for sure. But it's all about quality.My 250mm Sonnar of 1978 still outperforms any of my modern zooms at 250mm (I've done careful tests). Yes, I use the zooms because of the modern conveniences, but the old lenses of high quality are still better than the new budget lenses, and are budget-priced themselves now. What hasn't changed is that lenses are built to price-points.Nikon's 400mm f3.5 remains one of the sharpest long teles ever, if you get the mf right! Price was the same as a new Landrover - expensive lens! Now you can get that quality for a song. Nikon's latest 18-to-xx DX zoom is better than the same of a few years ago, but will be disappointing compared to a 1980’s 18mm Contax Distagon, all optical qualities considered. There was no software correction for lens designers to fall back on then! (cont.)

It's all about quality, and if you want high optical quality at bargain prices, and don't mind forgoing some mechanical wizardry, going old high-quality is still a viable option.

Example wildlife shot made 3 weeks ago with the 1980’s Nikkor 400mm f3.5. Because the flight was too fast for AF, it’s an example of a shot that would have had the AF switched off on any lens (prefocussed), and because it was on a tripod and at 1/2500th of a second, it’s also an example of a shot in which the IS would be switched off or irrelevant on any lens. So the modern mechanical wizardry is not needed for this shot, just optical excellence, so it could be cropped from a small part of the sensor.http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/57202381

New lenses are usually better then old, but many of the good old ones are not modernised. Some old lenses have delivered outstanding optical quality for decades (that goes for Canon, Nikon, Minolta and more too) but the difference with Pentax is that you can mount then directly on a new camera, get AF, aperture control and stabilisation. With other brands you often end up with adapters, no AF, and never stabilization. Maybe you are so used to old lenses being useless that you don't realize old K mount lenses are fully operational and usable on modern Pentax cameras. Its a whole different world!

Also remember that Pentax was the first brand to multicoat their lenses "smc", a patent that did put old Pentax lenses decades ahead in flare resistance compared to other brands.

Jorge,if you stopped being condescending and actually searched for some information (as others have suggested), you would have by now realized that Pentax made some outstanding glass back in the '70s and '80s.

That's not the same as saying that modern glass is worthless, on the contrary, the widespread use of computer prototyping means we can now have glass that we couldn't even dream of back in the day - but that doesn't necessarily mean it was "soft".

For instance, I could name a few very, very sharp manual lenses (manual aperture, manual focus) that however exhibit moderate to significant purple fringing (that was the price to pay without ED glass).

If one knows when and how to use those and when and how to use the modern counterparts, he is certain to obtain the best possible results in any conditions.

Yes. it is about choice. Everybody can decide if he want to spend a lot of time searching for a old lens that is in a good condition on the Internet or spending money for a new lens and start with photography right away... if i would have bought a Nikon Df i maybe would be interested in old Nikkor lenses but if you are new to photography and start to buy your first camera and lenses i would always prefer the latest efforts of technology including those lenses except if you're not sure if photography is the right thing for you then it is maybe cheaper to buy the old and used stuff...

If those lenses were Nikon from the same period, I would have had more issues.

If those lenses were Canon, then there was really nothing I could have done (mount change in '87).

They all are vastly superior in IQ to modern kit lenses, and are all pretty common and inexpensive.A newby could start with three primes (28-50-100 for instance), not regret even a pricey kit lens at all, and spend way less.You have to try and shoot test targets with them to believe that.

"If those lenses were Nikon from the same period, I would have had more issues."

Not sure how you mean that. Even Nikon is having great old AI/AI-S or AF-D lenses which you can still use on a D600. On a Nikon Df you can pratically use every old Nikon lens (non-AI/AI/AI-S).

Everybody has different needs. For me the amazing image quality of the current Nikon system, the reliability and the availabilty of great new Nikkor lenses was the key to buy a new camera and new lenses for it. I had no old lenses collecting dust around.

1. only Nikon's hi-end bodies allow metering with old lenses (AI and pre-AI), with Pentax you can buy a 10 years-old entry-level body and still be able to meter

2. I never said that everybody should have the same need, on the other hand you said that old, legacy lenses are not worth it, when people have been shooting with those on hi-MP sensors (Sony A7 series on FF, 24MP Pentax bodies on APS-C) with outstanding results. Not mediocre. Not so-so. Not good-enough. Not good. Not Very good. Outstanding. ;-)

"1. only Nikon's hi-end bodies allow metering with old lenses (AI and pre-AI), with Pentax you can buy a 10 years-old entry-level body and still be able to meter"

That doesn't really matter. Only a small group of specific photography lovers will spend that time and money to buy a camera that supports the whole range of old Nikkor lenses. Do you know which lenses are still supported on current Nikon bodies? I guess not. So are you talking based on knowledge or do you only try to find negative points to make your beloved Pentax a better camera?

"2. I never said that everybody should have the same need, on the other hand you said that old, legacy lenses are not worth it, when people have been shooting with those on hi-MP sensors"

Have you looked how much fiddling and knowledge is involved to setup your camera for a very old lens? It is not just like put it on and shoot... Only a very small minority is actually buying a camera like the Nikon Df and those old lenses. But yes it seems a waste to use a current modern (and still expensive!) camera with it's capabilities by using a very old lens... but i don't expect any understanding from Pentax users... in reality they don't even know how a modern and reliable AF system works these days... (remember all these K-5 issues with the AF system?). Reliability is very important for me - that is the reason why i don't want to spend my money at Pentax.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to do that!I'm just trying to tell you that shooting old lens isn't as bad as your prejudices make you think it is!So do as you please, you have an outstanding equipment already, but before saying old lenses are always "soft", difficult to use and generally not worth it, well, then think again.

"... but before saying old lenses are always "soft", difficult to use and generally not worth it, well, then think again."

No, a good lens stays a good lens if it is a high end build. In 50 years maybe my lenses are vintage and replaced by newer models as technology is moving forward (you can currently see the slow transition to electromagnetic diaphragm for aperture blades). I rather find it difficult to get a knowledge about of what can be a good old lens and how the condition of this lens is (no fungus and oiled aperture blades although you could open it to clean it) and where you find those desired lenses - i have looked at ebay for example but you won't find a equivalent lens like a 14-24mm f/2.8 nikkor as vintage counterpart. i mean that is just a dream lens for landscapes but even if you have it you need to learn how to use that focal range to get interesting pictures with good fore/background combinations or how to emphasise something in the picture.

You've got to know what to look for.Without extensive computer use in the design phase (even though some lenses at the end of the '70s were designed with the help of SW, just think of the computational capabilities at that time...), zooms and extreme focal length were generally difficult to build, very expensive, very rare, and generally not exceptional.You have the one-of-a-kind, exceptional Nikkor 13/5.6 (which is prohibitively expensive), we have a very good 17/4 fisheye (originally made in 1975).

Other than that an some other notable exceptions, you'll want to stick with short tele to wide angle using tried and tested optical formulas.

You have the tiny Nikon-E 100/2.8, we have an even smaller (by a hair, if I'm not mistaken) and really astounding 100/2.8, for instance.

And as far as I'm concerned I'm seeing way more pentaxians in Paris than I did in NYC or Montreal (i.e., I've actually seen a few of them). In fact, the first Pentax store ever opened in Paris. All right, all right, it's empty most of the time, but it's there !

It has been expected for a long time and now finally here itAll pentaxians long known the remarkable reasons why Pentax is the best choice for a photographer. And the new K1 will be a confirmation.The solutions that can provide this camera are innovative and are all in order to provide a powerful and flexible instrument in the hands of the photographer.

The only full frame DSLR with a stabilized sensor... maybe because stabilizing the sensor on a DSLR (instead of the lens) doesn't make a lot of sense unless you LIKE a viewfinder that has nonstop jitters.

i have a Sony a900 (FF, optical viewfinder, stabilised sensor) and a Panasonic GH4 (micro four thirds, stabilised lenses). unless shooting handheld with long lenses i prefer to have the viewfinder unstabilised. it's easier for me to realise whether i'm holding the camera steady (plus there is an indicator in the viewfinder) with the jittering image of the non stabilised view through my a900 than with the floating image through the stabilised view of the GH4. so yeah, i guess i LIKE a viewfinder that has nostop jitters.and i like the fact that sensor based stabilisation can be used with virtually any lens that can be attached to the camera (at least if implemented properly), that includes vintage glass as well as self made toy lenses.

I have the same experience as Wilu. Trying to stand still with a stabilized viewfinder will is like trying to stand still with a blindfold. Its more difficult compared to when the brain have direct visual input of how still the humanly body stands.

The unstabilized visual input helps the photographer getting more stable pictures! Its an _advantage_, Midwest got it all wrong.

Stabilized lenses make me a little sea-sick, but each system has it's own pros and cons. I don't need to see that the image is stabilized, just like I don't need 10 billion dots on my screen. What gets written to the card is all that matters to me.

@DPReview It would be really great to use classic Takumar 55mm f1.8 or Takumar 50mm f1.4 on K-1 for the title photo, instead of the cheap low end Pentax-M 50mm f2. Show the roots of the 135 Pentax system with its evolution pinnacle, in one shot.

Why haven't you replaced the mirror in your bathroom with a video camera and flat screen monitor? The target audience of this camera probably would not have bought it if had been mirrorless, especially if it meant scraping the K-mount. Just look how well the K-01 did.

im a nikon user and i always wanted a pentax and go dual systems. This is a wonderful camera starting with the price tag. I think these specs are wonderful. I consider the K-1 a proffesional camera. The market of pro grade FF cameras (spacially canikon) should be taking notes about their prices.

Now i really would like to see pentax upgrading in the future their pro aps-c.

I received an update notification for this post, but don't see a new post. Strange.

In any event, I don't understand why the fact that the so-called "four-way" controller is not acknowledged as the eight-way controller that it is.

Your readers would probably appreciate the hint that there is more to focus point control on the K-1 than meets the eye.

N.B. I also don't understand why the criticism towards a lack of a "dedicated" AF point controller. Once the corresponding configuration is made, the eight-way controller becomes a dedicated AF-point controller, AFAIC. I hardly ever need the other functions (JPEG settings, etc.) that are associated with the same buttons, so I don't really suffer from having to use an extra button press to reactivate them. The configuration option is mentioned, but essentially described as a workaround that does not satisfactorily address the concern.

And no, I wouldn't want a joystick instead of buttons. Maybe I'm odd that way. I also prefer track points over touch pads on laptops, because they are always directly accessible to a touch typist and they don't require one to repeatedly "push" the mouse pointer to a particular point, but simply accept a constant, minimal nudge. I guess fans of track points are in the minority, but that shouldn't mean that there preferred control is downrated, right?

More about gear in this article

Seattle-based photographer Neil Buckland has been working with University of Washington scientist Dr. Tony Irving to photograph, in incredible detail, slices of meteorites that have fallen to earth with his Pentax K-1 and a custom-built rig. Get a look into space, and into the past, with some of Buckland's images.

For a limited time this summer, current K-1 owners will be able to send their cameras in for a circuit board replacement, essentially upgrading to a Mark II. They'll even get a Mark II logo swapped in on the front of the camera.

The D850 was just announced, and by all accounts it's shaping up to be a very impressive DSLR. But should you upgrade your current camera? In this article, we've broken down the D850's main selling points compared to several popular models.

Ricoh has added two prime lenses to its full-frame lens lineup for the Pentax K-1: the forthcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.4. Although details are scant, we did sneak a peek at the 50mm, on the show floor. Read more

Latest in-depth reviews

The Canon G5 X Mark II earns a Silver Award with its very good image quality, flexibility and the overall engaging experience of using the camera. However, if you need the very best in autofocus and video, other options may suit you better. Find out all the details in our full G5 X II review.

360 photos and video can be very useful for certain applications (as well as having fun). The Vuze+ is an affordable 360 camera that supports both 2D and 3D (stereo vision) capture, and might be the best option for someone wanting to experiment with the 360 format.

The Mikme Pocket is a portable wireless mic with particular appeal to smartphone users looking to up their game and improve the quality of recorded audio without the cost or complexity or traditional equipment.

The 90D is essentially the DSLR version of the EOS M6 Mark II mirrorless camera that was introduced alongside it. Like the M6 II, it features a 32MP sensor, Dual Pixel AF, fast burst shooting and 4K/30p video capture. It will be available mid-September.

Latest buying guides

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.

Whether you're hitting the beach in the Northern Hemisphere or the ski slopes in the Southern, a rugged compact camera makes a great companion. In this buying guide we've taken a look at nine current models and chosen our favorites.

What's the best camera for under $500? These entry level cameras should be easy to use, offer good image quality and easily connect with a smartphone for sharing. In this buying guide we've rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing less than $500 and recommended the best.

If you're looking for a high-quality camera, you don't need to spend a ton of cash, nor do you need to buy the latest and greatest new product on the market. In our latest buying guide we've selected some cameras that while they're a bit older, still offer a lot of bang for the buck.

Whether you're new to the Micro Four Thirds system or a seasoned veteran, there are plenty of lenses available for you. We've used pretty much all of them, and in this guide we're giving your our recommendations for the best MFT lenses for various situations.

Blackmagic has announced an update to Blackmagic RAW that adds support, via plugins, to Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer. Blackmagic also announced a pair of Video Assist 12G monitor-recorders with brighter HDR displays, USB-C recording and more.

Sony has announced the impending arrival of its next-generation video camera system, the FX9. The full-frame E-mount system is set to be released later this year with a 16-35mm E-mount lens to follow in spring 2020.

The Canon G5 X Mark II earns a Silver Award with its very good image quality, flexibility and the overall engaging experience of using the camera. However, if you need the very best in autofocus and video, other options may suit you better. Find out all the details in our full G5 X II review.

The Fujifilm X-A7 is the newest addition to the company's X-series lineup. Despite its relatively low price of $700 (with lens), Fujifilm didn't skimp on features. Click through to find out what you need to know about the X-A7.

The entry-level Fujifilm X-A7 improves upon many of its predecessor's weak points, including a zippier processor, an upgraded user experience and 4K/30p video capture. It goes on sale October 24th for $700 with a 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens.

Robert Frank's unconventional approach to photography and filmmaking defied generational constraints and inspired some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He passed away today at age 94.

All three devices offer a standard 12MP camera plus, for the first time on an iPhone, an ultra-wide 13mm camera module. The 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max also retain the telephoto camera of previous generations.

Phase One's new XT camera system incorporates the company's IQ4 series of digital backs with up to 151MP of resolution and marries them to a line of Rodenstock lenses using the new XT camera body. The result is an impressively small package for one of the largest image sensors currently on the market - take a closer look here.

Phase One has announced its new XT camera system, which includes an IQ4 digital back, body (made up of a shutter release button and two dials) and a trio of Rodenstock lenses. The company is marketing the XT as a 'travel-friendly' product for landscape photographers.